Operation Christmas Child - 2020

To say that we were excited Sunday morning as we made our way to church would be an understatement! This was the day we would see the results of a project that is so dear to friends and family in North America. Sunday was Samaritan's Purse - Operation Christmas Child day at Son Rise. It's the first time this has happened here. Our kids at Son Rise were to receive love, prayers and gifts from people they didn't even know cared about them. 

Our two pastoras (pastor's wives) really pulled the day together. Pastora Carolina organized a really excellent morning with songs, prayers, gospel teaching, and ..... ta-dah ..... the distribution of the shoe boxes. Pastora Dunia began her morning at 5:00 decorating - oh, they love their balloons! - and food preparation because a fiesta needs food!

Pastora Carolina (top left), and Pastora Dunia (bottom right)

Larry and I were invited to join the team with distributing the shoeboxes and assuring the kids that these gifts represented Jesus' love shared from children and adults from other countries. And oh my!!! The kids loved receiving their gifts!! (For the full effect - check out the video blog - with noise - lots of noise.)

For us, this was an opportunity to see the process through to completion. We have participated with our church family in preparing shoe boxes and praying for each recipient. When they were younger, we helped our kids plan their shoeboxes. Our grandchildren now participate in preparing a shoebox.  

Pictures from Emmanuel, 2018,
when Eliana participated in shoebox prep.

Now we have been able to feel the excitement from the other end where we helped with the distribution of the boxes! Wow! Such joy!  

I think the biggest worry for all of us on the team was what would we do if we ran out of shoeboxes? What if all the children in the Colonia arrived?!! What if we didn't have enough boxes for each of the three age groups - boy and girl?  Evidence that this day was all in God's hands? We had shoeboxes for each child, and sufficient for each of the six groups. Six or seven boxes remain and these will be presented to children who were absent.

There are those who say that you should not participate in the shoebox program. (as there are those who say you should not do lots of really great things!) From what we saw, it was good, good, good! The distribution was conducted from a Christian church with Christian leaders prepared to pray with the kids and to encourage them to return for each Sunday for the next 12 weeks to continue La Gran Adventura, the study that accompanies the shoe boxes. 

It was happy kids enjoying their food, and greeting their parents when the morning ended. We are looking forward to seeing kids with their new stuffies, hair bands, bouncy balls, toy cars, slinkies  ....... when they return over the next weeks to continue their Gran Adventura. 

Operation Christmas Child - the videos 😄

With the video camera in your phone, everyone is a videographer. We rarely use videos because mostly they turn out jiggly and noisy.  But, we really wanted to share a few videos from our time with the kids participating in the initial Gran Adventura experience at Son Rise. If you want to watch our jiggly, noisy videos and be a part of the experience, this is what you're looking for. 😄

February Update - Lots of 💗 From Roatan

Hello for February!

Happy belated Valentine’s Day! It’s never too late to send love, right?

When we return to Roatan each time, we always expect to see some changes. We have no say in the changes and for the most part they are always part of the excitement of returning. But, this recent return was a challenge - at least for the first week or two. There were people-things that just plain seemed overwhelming and we were actually ready to pack it in. A few people we have spent much time with caused us to be disappointed and discouraged. It seemed wherever we went, people just wanted to squeeze out whatever stuff or money we might have, but were unwilling to resume relationship with us.

I think some of our prayer warriors stepped up their petitions. Thank you! Whew! After a week or so of sloshing through the junk, encouragements began to come. To us these are big encouragements! We’re praising God for helping us to lift our eyes out of the messiness and showing us what He is doing and allowing us to have a part. It’s these encouragements we want to share with you at the midpoint of our time here for this season.

One of the biggest encouragements to us during January and February is to have

Jessie at work - yay!

seen a few of the students we have invested in find employment. Karla and Jessie both graduated in November from grade 12. Both are already employed! Jessie had applied for work at Clinica Esperanza (Peggy’s Clinic). In mid-January, she began work as the receptionist. Her competence in organization as well as being bilingual makes her especially suited to this position. And – she loves it! While visiting our new local grocery store, we were excited to see Junior working. He has been a year looking for work and for him this is great as it is near his home (no transportation needed) and he gets paid!

We were encouraged with the provision of resources to meet the needs for the back-to-school season. We were able to work co-operatively with some great parents this year in placing the kids in a variety of schools. This year two students remain in ALFA, the private bilingual school we have known in previous years. Both these students are sponsored by friends/family of our partners the Gartners who also personally support two girls in other schools, who will graduate this year. We were able to register Jessie and Josian in university, something totally new to us. Two other students were registered in a technical school that should provide hands-on training in electrical work. One grade seven girl is attending school on Sundays only, with much online homework during the week to meet the hours required for a school year. Another young boy is attending a private school in the Colonia. Finally, we have four students travelling into town for high school. We praise God! We always have enough to support those He puts in our path.

Today five new Believers from Son Rise church were baptized. The three young girls – Jisely, Merlin, and Daniela – come to our classroom for English/homework/ computer work. It is always a joy to be a part of the group witnessing this.

In our December update I wrote: This year we want to return with expectant hearts. We want to look to God so that we don’t miss His goodness, His kindness, His love, and His “with-us-ness”. As we do, we need to remember to expect to see Him and expect that He is in it all.

With these good reminders, we are seeing God’s goodness, kindness, and particularly His with-us-ness. As with all things, it is the teacher, the mentor, the worker, who gets the best opportunities to experience the best of these things. We just need to change our focus. I read somewhere “mentoring is messy”.  Oh yes!

We will be here in Roatan for another month and a half. During this time we ask for your continued prayers. Please pray:

-      For a family with many decisions to make – for wisdom and safety

-      For the pastors at Son Rise church, that they find joy in their service and resist discouragement

-      For the students we have committed to support that the education they receive meets their present and future needs

-      For us that we keep our focus upward.

💗 Many blessings to all of you. Send us a note to let us know how things are with you.

And – we’re sending LOTS of LOVE to all of you!      

A Month in Pictures

Sisters Tania and Sandra watching us coming up the path.

You know how when you go shopping and you spend all the money in your wallet? It is spent - gone. You have made an exchange - the money for commodities or services. If you are a smart shopper you will have made a positive exchange with no regrets over an empty wallet. Afterall, money really is worthless if you don't plan to exchange it for something of value.

We've spent this month in the warmth and GREEN of Roatan, Honduras. We've spent this month being encouraged by some very positive opportunities.  We've spent this month with some really special people.  The spending was an exchange of time for experiences. We think our exchange - time for experiences - was very worthwhile. 

Take a look at some of the things we have exchanged time for over the past month. I think you'll agree - a really, good exchange.

1. Back-to-school preparations

2. School registrations

3. Encouragements

Left top: Junior has work at Ramirez' grocery store; Right top: Meilin and other students work at Ramirez' as carry-outs to help support family needs; Left bottom: two recent grads are now in university!; Right bottom: Oscar has stepped up as man-of-the-house and shows Larry plans for house renovations. 

4. The kids in the Classroom

5. Lots of Green - and blue.

Refreshment and re-creation.

6. As always, cute kid pictures

7. T-shirt picture of the month